Mid-Century Modern Coasters

Mid-Century Modern Coasters

Admittedly, DIY coasters are a long-time favorite kind of project for me. They’re small, easy to work on, and make great gifts if you don’t keep them yourself. And since I didn’t have a set of mid-century modern coasters for our new home, I figured it was high time I make some.

Especially when I spotted this set of four wooden coasters at a thrift. They were nice enough on their own but could also be embellished.

plain wooden coasters from the thrift store

Would I have preferred six instead of four? Sure…but thrifters can’t be choosers- that’s part of the charm, after all.

bottom of wood coasters

Anyway, I’d already thrifted the mid century glassware that would serve as my inspiration. And with the wooden coasters in hand, I was ready to get to work!

vintage mid century modern drinking glasses

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Making the Mid-Century Modern Coasters

First things first, these coasters would be spending a lot of time in our eclectic, mid-century modern living room. So, I wanted them to have the right “look”. But when I placed them on our vintage coffee table, I realized how pale they were in comparison.

wood coasters that need to be stained

Which meant that before I did anything else, I needed to add depth and warmth with some wood stain. Thankfully, I had a couple of walnut stain options in the garage to play around with. After all, the 1960s-era Bassett coffee table was walnut.

two shades of walnut wood stain from minwax

After testing both shades on the underside of one coaster, I selected the dark walnut stain for this project. It wasn’t going to be a perfect match, but it would definitely help! 

dark walnut wood stain on a wooden coaster

So, I brushed stain on each wood coaster, let it sit for a few moments, and then wiped off the excess. Because these coasters were so smooth, I knew the stain would need some time to penetrate the closed grain.

wooden coasters with dark walnut wood stain

And again, I knew I wasn’t going to achieve a perfect match to our coffee table, but this was a lot closer than they’d been originally!

Next, I let the coasters cure overnight and then wiped on some furniture salve. You may recall me using this stuff before on this project?

furniture salve by wise owl paint

Adding an Atomic Starburst

Now it was time to embellish the coasters with a mid-century modern design that would coordinate with the drinking glasses! I decided to use this stencil and four different colors of craft paint. 

atomic starburst stencil for mid century modern coasters

Unfortunately, this line of midmod stencils is no longer available. But there are similar ones on Etsy, such as this set.

Then, I simply did my stenciling thing- selecting the starbursts, arranging them on a coaster, and stippling/swirling my stencil brush over the design.

stenciling an atomic starburst on a wooden coaster set

Interestingly enough, I found that swirling worked best for the darker colors (the blues), and stippling worked better for the lighter colors (white and gold).

mid century modern pattern from a stencil

Isn’t that curious? I’m not entirely sure why…but just ran with it for the cleanest effect. Either way, before long, I’d stenciled the atomic starburst design on each coaster in a different color.

mid century modern coasters that were inspired by mid century modern glassware

Next, I sealed my mid-century modern coasters with clear furniture wax and allowed them to fully cure overnight.

sealing a stenciled design with clear wax

And that was it- I now had a set of coasters that was the perfect addition to our mid-century modern living room!

coasters for a mid century modern living room

Mid-Century Modern Coasters

Even though this was a fairly simple, straight forward project, I wanted to share it with you on my blog. Because I just love how they turned out!

diy idea for mid-century modern coasters

And just as I’d hoped, the mid-century modern glassware that I’d thrifted coordinated swimmingly with my upcycled coasters!

making a set of coasters for our mid century modern living room

I’ve cobbled together seven of those highball glasses now! Three from a thrift, and a set of four I found at a vintage shop. Ironically, this thrifted trio are in far better condition- even though I paid next to nothing for them!

vintage drinking glass on upcycled coasters

*****

Today is also Thrift Store Decor Team Day! I hope you’ll check out some of the projects my friends have been working on, as well. And if you aren’t following me on social media, I wanted to explain why it’s been several weeks since I last published a post. My father was hospitalized for a while, so I traveled to Florida to care for my mother while he recovered. He’s home now and on the mend and I appreciate all of the warm, encouraging wishes I received from everyone on Facebook and Instagram. Hugs to all of  you!

items from a thrift store for crafts

1. Thrift Store Wooden Candle Sconce RepurposeOrganized Clutter

2. Easy Thrift Store Projects to Upcycle for Home DecorReinvented Delaware

3. DIY Bird FeederPetticoat Junktion

4. Thrift or Dollar Store DIY Spring WreathShop at Blu

5. Mid-Century Modern Coasters (Inspired by Glassware!)Sadie Seasongoods

6. Vintage Wall Shelf with Towel RodsMy Repurposed Life

7. DIY Plaster Candle HoldersDomestically Speaking

*****

Thank you for coming along with me on another mid century-inspired upcycling makeover. And isn’t that wooden flower arrangement fantastic? I’ll tell you more about it soon, I promise!

If you enjoyed this upcycling idea for mid-century modern coasters, then you may also enjoy how I pieced together this upcycled set of retro canisters, as well!

Retro canisters for mid century modern kitchen decor

Craft on!

S

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wooden coaster set for a mid-century modern living room

mid-century modern coaster set

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Sarah Ramberg is the owner of Sadie Seasongoods, a website that celebrates all things secondhand. From upcycling ideas and thrifted decor to vintage-centric travel itineraries, Sadie Seasongoods is a one-stop shop for anyone who loves thrifting and approachable repurposing ideas. Sarah is also the author of “Crafting with Flannel” and has been featured in numerous media outlets and magazines.

Comments

  1. Mid-Century perfection Sarah! They match those gorgeous glasses perfectly! Pinned 🙂

  2. Sarah
    Your coasters are so cute. I love the design you stenciled, and it is odd that the technique was different for the paint colors. I love the colors you chose too!
    pinned!
    gail

  3. So fun! I love the stencil you used.

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